Food Critic

Quick Stats

What do Food Critics do?

Food Critics writes restaurant reviews for magazines, newspapers, blogs, and travel guides. In this job, you’re the ultimate connoisseur of taste, style, and good old fashioned yumminess.

What’s an average day like?

On a typical workday as a Food Critic, you will visit a restaurant—usually with a companion of your choice—and try a couple of dishes. You’ll need to remain anonymous so that the staff doesn’t treat you any different from a regular customer. (This is where you get to satisfy that latent childhood desire to be a Spy.) If the place deserves a review, you just might have to go back a second time and taste different options from the menu.

Then comes the important part of a Food Critic’s job: the writing. When you’re a Food Critic, your descriptions must be exact and imaginative, appealing to all of the senses, and showing how this food establishment is different from other places that serve similar cuisine.

This is a competitive field; after all, who doesn’t want to get paid to eat? So you need to be able to taste the difference between, say, peppermint and spearmint, or fresh and canned coconut milk. And describe the level of crispiness of a duck skin, or the way a soup broth slides down your throat. All this while paying attention to the décor of the place and friendliness of the staff.

Why does this job matter?

Ultimately, your published review will recognize the Chef and give the restaurant more business, if you liked it. And if you didn’t, well, the whole world will now know why. If seeing your name in print isn’t enough, your influence on the food industry will justify all those hours you spent analyzing the nuttiness of your quiche crust.

Should I be a Food Critic?

You should have
a
bachelor's
degree or higher and share these traits:

Helpful:
You always keep an eye out for what other people need.

Team Player:
You're able to listen, communicate, and work with tons of different people.